Contents

Description

Design

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

Between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, the Pony is depicted as a generic, medium sized van that has appeared in two different forms, both of which do not apparently draw inspiration from any van. For GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories, the Pony features a modern appearance with a high roof (compared to the Rumpo's lower roof), while the GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City Stories renditions are directed in an older form with a conventionally low roof. In all its incarnations, the Pony is capable of carrying four passengers (two in the front, two in the back), and can be found driving around the industrial areas of the cities. The Pony resembles a first-generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van, but more closely resembles the 1986 Ford Econoline.

Regular Ponys in GTA San Andreas may occasionally appear with stereo systems in their cargo holds. One such Pony is seen during the mission "Life's a Beach", where it is used by a DJ for a beach party (see #Variants for more details).

GTA IV

In GTA IV, the Pony is manufactured by Brute. The front resembles a 1997-2002 GMC Savana, and the sides and back resemble a 1986-1993 Dodge Ram Van; that said, it has taller taillights than the Ram Van, and its side-mirrors look closer to more modern vans like the 1996–present Chevy Express/GMC Savana. The GTA IV Pony looks similar to the Burrito, a Declasse van.

The GTA IV Pony can rarely be spotted, however it does spawn parked in at least two locations (see #Locations). It comes with various different company names including; Sum Yung Gai Chinese Restaurant, U-Benders Plumbing Services, Pizza This and Mr. Wong's Laundrette. However, regardless of company name, the rear is either filled with various tools and toolboxes or being simply empty.

Performance

Overall, the Pony has a reasonable speed for a van, but its handling suffers from the very stiff suspension setup, making the vehicle unstable on bumpy roads. In GTA IV, its top speed is 120 km/h (74 mph).

Variants

In its earlier form, the Pony has been repeatedly adapted into different vans featuring unique modifications, including:

Pony's with unique modification also exist. Pony's with unique black body colors can be found during "Loose Ends". During the GTA San Andreas mission "Life's a Beach", there is a also unique teal Pony with a large stereo system and off-road wheels (presumably to allow it to traverse the sandy beach); it is a one-of-a-kind vehicle as Ponys cannot be modified at TransFender.

The Pony as depicted during "Life's a Beach", GTA San Andreas. Note the off-road tires.

Naming confusion

A comparison between the Rumpo (white), Pony (red) and Burrito (gray) in GTA Vice City (Rear quarter view).

There is some confusion over the differences between the Pony and the Rumpo, due to changes in their designs between GTA III and GTA Vice City.

In GTA III, the Rumpo is designed after the Dodge Ram Van, and the Pony is a larger van with a heightened roof. In GTA Vice City, however, the Pony has a new design with a conventional roof, and the original "heightened roof" Pony design is inherited by the Rumpo (GTA San Andreas retained this change). Vans inspired by the Dodge Ram Van would continue to appear in the GTA III era, under the name "Burrito".

Trivia

A cosmetic glitch in GTA Vice City causes any Pony which enters a Pay 'n' Spray to emerge with its front bumper facing the opposite direction, towards the rear. Simply parking the vehicle in a garage and allowing the garage door to close will restore the bumper's alignment. This problem is also present in GTA Vice City's Rumpo.